ILOILO CITY — Some 412 Kinder to Grade 6 pupils of the Nabitasan Elementary School in Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz of this city were taught easy to cook food using corn as the main ingredient during the Mobile Fun Kitchen program, held Thursday.
The activity was the second leg of the series of educational roadshows initiated by the Monsanto Philippines as part of its nutritional campaign in the country, said Charina G. Ocampo, corporate engagement lead of the company.
Erwin Vibal and Shamaine Castillo, Monsanto country and regulatory affairs leads, respectively, kept the interest of the pupils as they cooked recipes such as corn cheesy cup and cheesy cream corn soup, among others.
Dr. Clarissa Ojera, principal II of the Nabitasan Elementary School, said that the activity while it helped boost the interaction skills of pupils with visitors, it also gave them idea on farming.
It was the second engagement of the company with the public school. Last year Monsanto also conducted a story telling on agriculture, she said.
“It’s more of teaching them how to cook and interaction,” she said adding that they no longer have malnourished pupils. This year around 98 percent of their 127 feeding program recipients have gained a normal nutritional status.
Ocampo said that the activity also served as venue for them to explain the role of biotechnology in producing and farming nutritious foods.
“Biotech corn has the same nutritional value as the conventional corn,” she cited.
Castillo said that “we use biotechnology to develop new varieties of plant seeds with a range of desirable characteristics such as being able to resist certain insect or harsh weather conditions”.
“By applying biotechnology in agriculture, we protect crops such as corn, lettuce and tomatoes from pests and diseases, allowing us in turn to have a better yield,” she added.
Vibal, country lead of the company, hoped that through this activity they can help “spread information about how to produce food better, how to produce quality food and how to improve the quality of the food itself”.
“This is the best way to gather their interest in agriculture,” he added. (Perla Lena/PNA)
